Parable of the Mustard Seed

The Parable of the Mustard Seed is one of the shorter parables of Jesus. It appears in Matthew (13:31–32), Mark (4:30–32), and Luke (13:18–19). In the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, it is immediately followed by the Parable of the Leaven, which shares this parable's theme of the Kingdom of Heaven growing from small beginnings. It also appears in the non-canonical Gospel of Thomas (verse 20).

This article is about the parable of Jesus. For the Buddhist parable, see Kisa Gotami.
Etching by Jan Luyken illustrating the parable, from the Bowyer Bible.

Narrative

In the Gospel of Matthew the parable is as follows:

"The Kingdom of Heaven is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field; which indeed is smaller than all seeds but when it is grown, it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in its branches. "Matthew 13:31–32, World English Bible}}

In the Gospel of Mark:

"It's like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, though it is less than all the seeds that are on the earth, yet when it is sown, grows up, and becomes greater than all the herbs, and puts out great branches, so that the birds of the sky can lodge under its shadow." |Mark 4:30–32, World English Bible}}

In the Gospel of Luke:

"It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and put in his own garden. It grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the sky lodged in its branches." |Luke 13:18–19, World English Bible}}

Interpretation
The black mustard plant.

The plant referred to here (Greek σίναπι, sinapi) is generally considered to be black mustard, a large annual plant up to 9 feet (2.7 m) tall,[1] but growing from a proverbially small seed[1] (this smallness is also used to refer to faith in Matthew 17:20 and Luke 17:6). According to rabbinical sources, Jews did not grow the plant in gardens,[1] and this is consistent with Matthew's description of it growing in a field. Luke tells the parable with the plant in a garden instead; this is presumably recasting the story for an audience outside the Levant.[1]

I. Howard Marshall writes that the parable "suggests the growth of the kingdom of God from tiny beginnings to worldwide size."[1] The Parable of the Leaven (which in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke immediately follows) shares this theme of large growth from small beginnings. As with the Parable of the Sower, which in Matthew and Mark occurs earlier in the same chapter, the man sowing the seed represents Jesus,[2] and the plant is the Kingdom of God.

New Testament scholar Adolf Jülicher viewed the parable of the mustard seed as a similitude, or an extended simile/metaphor, that has three parts: a picture part (Bildhälfte), a reality part (Sachhälfte), and a point of comparison (teritium comparationis). The picture part is the mustard seed that grows into a large plant, the reality part is the kingdom of God, and the point of comparison is the growth of the kingdom from small beginnings.[3]

The nesting birds may refer to Old Testament texts which emphasize the universal reach of God's empire,[4] such as Daniel 4:12. However, a real mustard plant is unlikely to attract nesting birds,[2] so that "Jesus seems deliberately to emphasize the notion of astonishing extravagance in his analogy."[4] Other commentators have suggested that the birds represent Gentiles seeking refuge with Israel[5][6] or the "sinners" and tax collectors with whom Jesus was criticised for associating.[7] A few commentators view the birds negatively, as representing false teachers[8] invading the church.[9]

Some have identified a "subversive and scandalous"[6] element to this parable, in that the fast-growing nature of the mustard plant makes it a "malignant weed"[6] with "dangerous takeover properties".[6] Pliny the Elder, in his Natural History (published around AD 78) writes that "mustard... is extremely beneficial for the health. It grows entirely wild, though it is improved by being transplanted: but on the other hand when it has once been sown it is scarcely possible to get the place free of it, as the seed when it falls germinates at once."[10]

Ben Witherington notes that Jesus could have chosen a genuine tree for the parable, and that the mustard plant demonstrates that "Though the dominion appeared small like a seed during Jesus' ministry, it would inexorably grow into something large and firmly rooted, which some would find shelter in and others would find obnoxious and try to root out."[7]

Criticism

Technically, the mustard seed is only the smallest of seeds grown in soil, but not the smallest seed of all plants. For instance, orchids have smaller seeds, including those of vanilla, which is consumed by humans.[11] These smaller seeds however, grow on trees and do not grow in soil like the mustard seed being planted in soil, as Jesus said "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field."[Matthew 13:31] Some bible translations thus use different statements, even though the original Greek is quite explicit on mustard seeds being the smallest.[12]

See also

References
  1. Marshall, I. Howard (1978). The Gospel of Luke. Wm. B. Eerdmans. pp. 561–. ISBN 978-0-8028-3512-3.
  2. Nolland, John (2005). The Gospel of Matthew. Wm. B. Eerdmans. pp. 551–. ISBN 978-0-8028-2389-2.
  3. Jülicher, Adolf (1910). Die Gleichnisreden Jesu: Die Gleichnisreden Jesu im allgemeinen [The Prarables of Jesus] (in German) (2nd ed.). Tübingen: J.C.B. Mohr.
  4. Green, Joel B. (1997). The Gospel of Luke. Wm. B. Eerdmans. pp. 526–. ISBN 978-0-8028-2315-1.
  5. Longenecker, Richard N. (2000). The Challenge of Jesus' Parables. Wm. B. Eerdmans. pp. 141–. ISBN 978-0-8028-4638-9.
  6. Bird, Michael F. (2006). Jesus and the Origins of the Gentile Mission. A&C Black. pp. 73–. ISBN 978-0-567-04473-0.
  7. Witherington, Ben (2001). The Gospel of Mark: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary. Wm. B. Eerdmans. pp. 171–. ISBN 978-0-8028-4503-0.
  8. Linssen, Martijn (2020-08-14). "The Parable of the Mustard Seed in Context: work that earth". academia.edu. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  9. Lockyer, Herbert (1963). All the Parables of the Bible. Zondervan. pp. 188–. ISBN 978-0-310-28111-5.
  10. Pliny the Elder (1950). "Chapter LIV". Natural History. Book XIX. Translated by Harris Rackham, Loeb.
  11. Smith, Paul Philip; Barstow, Megan; Beech, Emily; O'Donnell, Katherine; Murphy, Lydia; Oldfield, Sara (2018). The book of seeds : a life-size guide to six hundred species from around the world. London: Ivy Press. ISBN 1-78240-520-8. OCLC 991644350.
  12. "Greek Interlinear Bible (NT)" (PDF). Scripture 4 All. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
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